Cleared Senior/Principal R&D Electrical Engineer, Onsite
Sandia National Laboratories
Albuquerque, USA
Job posting number: #7369081 (Ref:Sa698581)
Posted: August 19, 2026
Job Description
About Sandia:
Sandia National Laboratories is the nation’s premier science and engineering lab for national security and technology innovation, with teams of specialists focused on cutting-edge work in a broad array of areas. Some of the main reasons we love our jobs:
- Challenging work with amazing impact that contributes to security, peace, and freedom worldwide
- Extraordinary co-workers
- Some of the best tools, equipment, and research facilities in the world
- Career advancement and enrichment opportunities
- Flexible work arrangements for many positions include 9/80 (work 80 hours every two weeks, with every other Friday off) and 4/10 (work 4 ten-hour days each week) compressed workweeks, part-time work, and telecommuting (a mix of onsite work and working from home)
- Generous vacation, strong medical and other benefits, competitive 401k, learning opportunities, relocation assistance and amenities aimed at creating a solid work/life balance*
World-changing technologies. Life-changing careers. Learn more about Sandia at: http://www.sandia.gov
*These benefits vary by job classification.
What Your Job Will Be Like:
We are seeking an R&D Electrical Engineer interested in applying their engineering skills to analyze technical intelligence data from multiple sources in support of technical and policy customers within the U.S. intelligence communities. Your work will focus on evaluating foreign nuclear weapons capabilities, including weaponization, hardware assessment, production, utilization, and subsystem capabilities. Formal and informal training will be provided to support your onboarding and growth in this role. The successful candidate will demonstrate a strong aptitude for learning, openness to feedback, a proactive 'can do' attitude, and effective collaboration skills.
The work cadence includes both urgent same-day requests and longer-term projects spanning several months.
On any given day, you may be called on to:
All-Source Analysis:
- Conduct comprehensive all-source intelligence analysis on technical topics, synthesizing information from various sources including SIGINT, HUMINT, OSINT, MASINT, and GEOINT into clear analytic messages.
- Work comfortably with limited and evolving information to conceptualize and bound project scope by applying engineering judgment, collaborating with colleagues, and iterating to drive projects to completion.
- Apply U.S. IC tradecraft standards to all-source analytic work.
Understand and tailor your work to the needs of intelligence end-users in scope, focus, and delivery method.
Analytic Review:
- Conduct analytic reviews as needed to evaluate the quality and relevance of finished intelligence products, ensuring analyses are robust, accurate, and aligned with customer needs.
- Use critical thinking and analytic techniques to assess source validity and information reliability.
Communication:
- Produce clear, concise, and well-structured analytical reports and assessments tailored to high-level customers.
- Ensure written products meet established standards and deadlines.
- Prepare and deliver briefings to internal and external partners, communicating complex technical information clearly.
Collaboration:
- Work collaboratively with cross-functional teams, fostering teamwork and shared objectives, including federal sponsors, intelligence community partners, technical experts, scientists, and technologists.
Leadership:
- Foster a positive and collaborative team environment by proactively seeking opportunities to shape future initiatives and partnerships, while contributing to continuous improvement of yourself and others.
Qualified candidates may be asked to provide a writing sample (500 words or more) prior to any scheduled interviews.
The Sandia job code title for this position is R&D Electrical Engineer, however candidates may have background in many engineering disciplines including Aerospace, Mechanical, Electronics/Hardware, Nuclear, Chemical, Material Science, Systems engineering or other STEM fields.
Applicants on this requisition may be interviewed by multiple organizations at Sandia National Laboratories.
Due to the nature of the work, the selected applicant must be able to work onsite 100% of the time.
Salary Range:
$117,500 - $235,700
*Salary range is estimated, and actual salary will be determined after consideration of the selected candidate's experience and qualifications, and application of any approved geographic salary differential.
Qualifications We Require:
- A Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline and five (5) years of directly relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of directly relevant education and engineering or scientific experience that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and ability to perform independent research and development.
- Active DOE Q clearance is required to start (or equivalent such as Active DOD Top Secret), plus the ability to obtain and maintain a SCI which may include a polygraph examination
Qualifications We Desire:
The ideal R&D Electrical Engineer candidate for Sandia National Laboratories will in addition possess the following:
- Graduate degree in Electrical Engineering or a highly related field where an independent research project was a graduation requirement (e.g., independent project, thesis, or dissertation).
- Ability to work independently and collaborate well in a multidisciplinary team of designers and test engineers.
- Outstanding verbal and written skills, including the ability to develop and present briefings that are clear and compelling.
Also, for this posting we are seeking individuals with the following experience:
- Ability to understand, synthesize, and draw insights from multiple data streams (technical, economic, policy) using various analytical tools.
- Demonstrated ability to produce clear, well-organized technical documentation and communicate findings succinctly.
- Proven track record of proactively managing responsibilities, taking ownership, and delivering results reliably.
- Demonstrated leadership potential with emphasis on teamwork, initiative, and workplace improvement.
- Adaptability to changing priorities.
- Experience producing analytic products, especially for the Intelligence Community, is a plus but not required.
- Active SCI security clearance.
About Our Team:
The primary mission of the Threat Assessments Group (5920) is to assess the threats posed to US national security interests by foreign advanced weapons and technological capabilities, with emphasis on nuclear weapons. Our analyses inform policymakers and senior officials across the US government responsible for understanding the threats and risks posed by these weapons and relevant technologies. This high impact program area is steadily growing and stewards key capabilities associated with all-source intelligence analysis, computational modeling, and engineering studies.
Posting Duration:
This posting will be open for application submissions for a minimum of three (3) calendar days, including the 'posting date'. Sandia reserves the right to extend the posting date at any time.
Security Clearance:
Position requires a Department of Energy (DOE) Q security clearance to start, or equivalent active security clearance with another U.S. government agency (e.g., DOD). Sandia is required by DOE directive to conduct a pre-employment drug test and background review that includes checks of personal references, credit, law enforcement records, and employment/education verifications. Applicants for employment need to be able to maintain a DOE Q-level security clearance, which requires U.S. citizenship. If you hold more than one citizenship (i.e., of the U.S. and another country), your ability to obtain a security clearance may be impacted.
Applicants offered employment with Sandia are subject to a federal background investigation to meet the requirements for access to classified information or matter if the duties of the position require a DOE security clearance. Substance abuse or illegal drug use, falsification of information, criminal activity, serious misconduct or other indicators of untrustworthiness can cause a clearance to be denied or terminated by DOE, resulting in the inability to perform the duties assigned and subsequent termination of employment.
EEO:
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or veteran status and any other protected class under state or federal law.
NNSA Requirements for MedPEDs:
If you have a Medical Portable Electronic Device (MedPED), such as a pacemaker, defibrillator, drug-releasing pump, hearing aids, or diagnostic equipment and other equipment for measuring, monitoring, and recording body functions such as heartbeat and brain waves, if employed by Sandia National Laboratories you may be required to comply with NNSA security requirements for MedPEDs.
If you have a MedPED and you are selected for an on-site interview at Sandia National Laboratories, there may be additional steps necessary to ensure compliance with NNSA security requirements prior to the interview date.
Job ID: 698581
Job Family: RD
Regular/Temporary Position: R
Full/Part-Time Status: F
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.







